


december to remember

by Marishna



Series: Advent Calendar 2016 [20]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Airports, Christmas, College Student Stiles, Evolved Derek Hale, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Matchmaker Sheriff Stilinski, New York City, Pre-Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Reunions, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 09:02:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8973328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marishna/pseuds/Marishna
Summary: As he waited for the call to connect there was a tap on his shoulder and Stiles grinned as he ended the call and spun around.
Not his dad.
“Derek?” Stiles asked in disbelief.





	

**Author's Note:**

> KatSolus left me the following prompt - "Jeez, Dad, this is awesome. NY for Xmas....oh my god, is that Derek? - you knew?" I took this idea and warped it a little, hope this still works for you!
> 
> I'm SO CLOSE TO THE END. And I'm so tired... *weeps*
> 
> Follow me on the [tumblr](http://hoechlin-perfection.tumblr.com/)!

Stiles adjusted the strap of his backpack and pressed his lips together as he walked down the jetway from the airplane behind a crowd of too-slow fellow passengers. Didn’t they know he had places to go and people to see?

Christmas was a bit of a different affair that year because his father suggested they meet in New York City instead of Stiles going back to Beacon Hills for the holiday. Scott was planning on visiting him in Boston over Stiles’ spring break and Lydia was across the city so it wasn’t that difficult to say yes.

Stiles considered applying to a couple schools in New York but figured if Lydia was in Boston it was a happy medium for him. As he stepped out of the jetway into the terminal Stiles felt more at ease instantly and took a deep breath. Stiles and Lydia road tripped to Boston for a weekend at the start of the semester before school swallowed them up and he was surprised at how much well he liked the city and atmosphere. Boston was okay, but…

“Doesn’t matter,” he muttered to himself. “I’m here now.” He found a bathroom quickly to piss and wash up, then tapped out a quick message to his father when he stepped back out. 

_Made it in 1 pc, going to baggage now_. He grinned to himself when he thought about seeing his dad for the first time in months and it helped speed up his steps as he followed the signs to baggage claim.

The airport was huge, of course, and it took him almost ten minutes before he finally caught sight of the carousel his bag would arrive on. He looked around as he got closer, expecting to see his dad somewhere. He couldn’t spot him and so he started to walk around to check out the other carousels with other groups of people waiting and checked for him.

_Where u @??_ Stiles texted to John and half expected to hear the familiar chime of his message alert but there was nothing. 

Not known for his patience, Stiles dialed his father instead. As he waited for the call to connect there was a tap on his shoulder and Stiles grinned as he ended the call and spun around.

Not his dad.

“Derek?” Stiles asked in disbelief.

Derek had the same look on his face as he stared back at Stiles, dumbfounded. 

“Are you--did you text me?” Derek asked while holding up his phone.

“ _Derek?_ ” Stiles repeated. He reached out to poke him in the chest but Derek made a face and grabbed his hand before it could touch him. “You’re real?”

“No, I’m a lifelike simulation, Stiles,” Derek replied sarcastically. “What are you doing here?”

“Me?” Stiles exclaimed. “What about you? Where the hell have you been?”

Derek frowned but before he could answer Stiles’ phone alerted him to a text. They both looked down and saw a message from John: _surprise_. Derek’s phone buzzed immediately with the same message.

“But… I. What?” Stiles sputtered. The dots seemed to be connecting with Derek as he huffed out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Care to fill me in? How does my dad know where you are but I didn’t?”

Derek jerked his head toward a bench. “Come on, I’ll tell you.”

Derek grabbed Stiles’ bag off the luggage carousel, touching his nose lightly to indicate to Stiles that he still remembered his scent. Stiles took the chance to watch Derek and look him over. He hadn’t changed much in the couple years since they’d last seen each other. His hair was a bit longer, maybe, but he was still gorgeous, incredibly fit, and had neatly trimmed stubble Stiles always wondered what would feel like against his skin.

There was something different about him though, but Stiles couldn’t put his finger on what until they sat down and Derek turned to him with a wide smile on his face.

“Holy shit, you’re _happy_ ,” Stiles breathed and Derek snorted.

“It’s been known to happen,” Derek shot back but Stiles shook his head. 

“Not when I knew you.”

“You don’t know me anymore?”

Stiles shrugged. “Maybe not this Derek. I’m still confused why you’re here.”

Derek took a deep breath as he started with an apology, “Your dad’s known I’ve been here almost since I left. It was my request that he not tell anyone where I was.”

“All this time?” Stiles asked.

Derek nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Why? I mean, why was it a secret? Why have you and my dad been in contact?”

Derek shrugged. “I needed some time to figure things out since that night in Mexico. And it was sort of an accident that I got in touch with your dad. I called the station to ask a couple questions about the fire, trying to do it casual but he was the one that answered. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew I was consulting on cases for him.”

Stiles’ eyes widened as he put some pieces together. “ _You’re_ his expert! He’s talked about some guy he uses to ask questions about funny cases he couldn’t figure out but I thought it was just some specialist in forensics. You ass!”

Derek laughed and it almost stopped Stiles dead in his tracks. He couldn’t remember ever hearing such a sincere sound come from Derek. 

“But why are you here?” Stiles continued.

“I got a text, too,” Derek told him while holding up his phone. Indeed, there was an anonymous text with the airport name, baggage claim carousel number, and the time. 

“I have a question,” Derek said after he pocketed his phone. Stiles cocked his head to listen. “Why would I get a text, likely from your father, telling me to come here to meet you?”

Stiles honestly wasn’t sure how best to answer that so he called John again instead. This time he picked up.

“Dad,” Stiles said as a greeting. “Wanna tell me why you’re not here but Derek is?” 

On the other end John was chuckling at him which only served to annoy Stiles. “Oh, come on!”

“Sorry, son. It was just too easy.”

“Dad, come on. New York for Christmas was one thing but you knew Derek was here and then you just... “ Stiles waved his hands. “I don’t know what you did! And now I’m in New York and you’re not and--”

“Stiles, calm down. I’ll be there in a couple days. Enough time for you and Derek to reconnect.”

“What makes you think we need to?” Stiles asked, avoiding looking at Derek who he knew could hear each side of their call.

“I think that’s something for you to ask Derek. And for him to ask you,” John replied and Stiles’ stomach both dropped and rose to his throat. A double whammy of reality, if you will.

“Uh,” was all Stiles could say.

“Go out for supper, see a show, do touristy things. I’ll be there for Christmas and I hope I can see you both,” John told him. Reluctantly Stiles agreed and they hung up.

The sounds of the airport were secondary to the pounding of Stiles’ heart in his own ears. He knew what his dad was referring to but did that mean that Derek…

“I asked about you. A lot,” Derek answered for him unprompted. “Not at first, but when I started to get settled and I thought about what I missed about Beacon Hills.”

“You missed me?” Stiles asked incredulously.

Derek shrugged. “We weren’t a bad team when you weren’t an annoying shit.”

“So always?” Stiles laughed and Derek joined in. “You’re right, we weren’t a bad team. Y’know, when you didn’t make the plans ‘cause you were shit at them.”

“I won’t agree but I won’t disagree, either,” Derek said easily. “I take it I wasn’t alone in my curiosity?”

Stiles gave Derek a sheepish smile. “You may have come up a time or two. I was worried at first because you totally dropped off the map. And then I missed you,” Stiles admitted.

Derek nodded and then a silence lapsed between them. Stiles felt tired and hungry but otherwise he was good. Calm and at ease. 

“Well, I guess--”

“Where are you stay--” 

They both spoke at the same time but Stiles gestured for Derek to continue.

“I was just asking if you were staying somewhere or if you needed to be somewhere or…?”

“Or?” Stiles prompted.

“We could get a coffee? Starbucks or something. Or, you know, I have a coffee maker at my apartment. One of those ones with the pods that can make fancier kinds. Or so I’m told, I only got it because Cora sent it to me for my birthday. It’s kind of too much for my small place but, uh. It does the job, I guess,” Derek rambled. 

“Fascinating,” Stiles murmured. Derek looked at him oddly but Stiles shook his head and stood up. “That sounds great, actually. And I have some free time before my dad comes, it looks like so maybe you could show me around?”

Derek got to his feet and grabbed the handle of Stiles’ suitcase with a smile. “I think we can figure something out.”

***

The following fall Stiles and Derek celebrated Stiles’ transfer to an NYC college with cheap Chinese delivery eaten on packing boxes by candle light in their new apartment.


End file.
